Overview

Drug and Alcohol Practitioner – Hull

Permanent

£16,469.71

The Forward Trust is a national charity and social enterprise working to empower people to break cycles of addiction, crime, and disadvantage. Within our prison-based healthcare framework, we deliver drug and alcohol support services to individuals aged 18 and over, combining psychosocial interventions with accredited treatment programmes.

The Role

As a Substance Misuse Practitioner, you will work with offenders identified as having drug or alcohol issues, supporting them through their recovery journey while in custody and preparing them for a successful transition back into the community.

You will deliver client-centred treatment, using both harm reduction and abstinence-based approaches tailored to individual needs. This role requires effective caseload management, structured one-to-one and group interventions, and collaboration with a range of internal and external partners to ensure continuity of care.

Flexibility is key, as you may be required to work occasional evenings or weekends and travel between projects within your cluster to ensure seamless service delivery.

Key Responsibilities

  • Manage a caseload of service users, delivering assessments, care planning, and structured interventions.
  • Provide harm reduction advice and guidance.
  • Facilitate group programmes and deliver one-to-one counselling sessions.
  • Support integration with housing, healthcare, probation, employment, and other key services.
  • Contribute to service outcomes and meet commissioner-set targets.
  • Conduct second signatory duties and oral swab testing (training provided).
  • Maintain accurate case records and contribute to service evaluation.

About You

Essential Knowledge & Skills:

  • Understanding of the criminal justice sector and challenges faced by people with substance misuse issues.
  • Knowledge of counselling theory and the 12-step recovery process.
  • Ability to support clients in developing coping strategies and life skills.
  • Experience in substance misuse services, including assessments and SMART care planning.
  • Experience delivering structured interventions and facilitating therapeutic groups.
  • Practical counselling skills.
  • A recognised counselling qualification.

Desirable:

  • Knowledge of accredited treatment programmes.
  • Experience providing counselling within prisons or to people with substance misuse issues.
  • Personal lived experience of addiction (minimum 3 years clean) or imprisonment (released at least 5 years ago).
  • Previous prison setting experience.
  • Knowledge of NHS health and wellbeing outcomes.
  • Strong IT skills and ability to use case management systems.
  • Additional qualifications in substance misuse or nursing.

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits – 

  • Flexible working
  • Training and development opportunities
    • Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
    • Season Ticket Loan Scheme 
    • Cycle to work scheme
    • Crisis Loan Scheme
    • Electric Car Scheme
    • 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata’d for part time employees)
    • Access to Blue Light Card
    • 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays 
    • Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter 
    • Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary) 
    • Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)
    Diversity at Forward Trust
    The Forward Trust commits to providing opportunities to everyone. We want to ensure we have a diverse team with a range of lived and professional experiences. This includes those with ‘Lived Experience’ of addiction, offending, or homelessness.

    When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity and socio-economic background. Where operationally possible, we will consider flexible working requests and make reasonable adjustments for all roles.

    To find out more about Forward’s commitment to being an inclusive employer and our current EDI strategy click here.  


    Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work

    We recognise the importance of safeguarding, dependent on role you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check, details of which will be shared with you at interview.

    If successful in your application, you will be required to provide eligibility to work evidence in line with the ‘Eligibility to Work in the UK’ requirements.

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